Chapter Three: Her Story
Hours later, Xiaoli came too with a start. Instead of rearing up, however, she tightly gripped her hands into her "mattress" and buried her face into it, shivers of fright circulating her body. She was quite distraught and confused when Shino gently rested his arms around her and stroked her shoulders. She slowly looked up, tears in her eyes, and looked at him sorrowfully.
"I... I'm sorry, I was so tired... I just..." her face turning scarlet red as she tried to speak her mind clearly. Shino just laughed light-heartedly and looked into her eyes. "It's nothing to worry about. You looked so peaceful; I didn't wish to move to wake you." Xiaoli stood up and started to pace the room, stretching her arms and yawning, before pushing away the curtain in front of the entrance. It was late afternoon, she noticed. She could see the outline of the moon slowly appear as the sun set behind the Crystal Mountains to the east.
Shino broke the silence with a calm tone, "Why was that Tenma guard after you?" Xiaoli pauses for about a minute before finally answering. At first Shino thought she was ignoring or avoiding the question, so he dropped the subject and was about to say something else when her voice rang out, "I spoke kindly of the half-breed," she said quietly, her words revealing to Shino that she didn't realize what he was.
"The Tenma guard overheard me talking with a friend about the killings in the small village of Kyalma, and how the Hanyou population was eradicated. I said that it was only retribution for what we had done to them... since then I've been on the run... that was 2 years ago."
He looked at her, quite impressed. "You managed to elude the Tenma guard for two years? I'm impressed." She looked at him and blushed deeply, her face once again becoming scarlet red. "What about you?" Xiaoli asked Shino inquisitively. "Why are you out here? And why did you kill that Tenma guard?"
Shino paused for a few seconds before responding nonchalantly, "I'm the same as you, the Tenma heard me talking about the half-breed respectfully." He didn't know why he was covering up what and who he was; all he knew is that he didn't want to upset or frighten her. He looked at her and laughed, "But they seem to have forgotten me, or assumed me dead. I ran into Fa'Reah and somewhere over the course of the past 4 years, they seem to have stopped tracking me." Xiaoli looked at him and smiled, saying under her breath, "Liar." But Shino never heard her.
Shino walked up next to her, and started to look at the sky with her. He jumped when she started to grab hold of his arm and gently lean on his shoulder. She started giggling almost out of the blue, covering her still blushing face with her right hand, her eyes now looking at his face, "Umm... you still haven't told me YOUR name..." Shino looked down at her and laughed, her cute face and gentle eyes completely destroyed his defensive barrier, and he told her the truth. "My name is Shino. Shino Motoe"
"Shino...Motoe..." she said the words dreamily, before closing her eyes and leaning further into his arms. Out in the distance, a hoarse voice resonated out, "Xiaoli! Xiaoli! I am Akron - Lord of Fire; one of the "8 Heroes of Tenma"! I am here for your head!" Xiaoli started to shiver and cry into Shino's shoulder.
"Don't let him hurt me, Shino. Please!" she looked into his eyes longingly, barely able to hold back the tears. Akron bellowed somewhere north of the clearing where Shino first met Xiaoli. Shino smiled as he was just notified of Akron's approximate location. "Follow me," he told Xiaoli, "I go to meet him head on. If it looks like I might loose, head for the Crystal Mountains to the east. I have a stronghold at the end of the path." Xiaoli nodded and they started off back to the clearing.
Hours later, Xiaoli came too with a start. Instead of rearing up, however, she tightly gripped her hands into her "mattress" and buried her face into it, shivers of fright circulating her body. She was quite distraught and confused when Shino gently rested his arms around her and stroked her shoulders. She slowly looked up, tears in her eyes, and looked at him sorrowfully.
"I... I'm sorry, I was so tired... I just..." her face turning scarlet red as she tried to speak her mind clearly. Shino just laughed light-heartedly and looked into her eyes. "It's nothing to worry about. You looked so peaceful; I didn't wish to move to wake you." Xiaoli stood up and started to pace the room, stretching her arms and yawning, before pushing away the curtain in front of the entrance. It was late afternoon, she noticed. She could see the outline of the moon slowly appear as the sun set behind the Crystal Mountains to the east.
Shino broke the silence with a calm tone, "Why was that Tenma guard after you?" Xiaoli pauses for about a minute before finally answering. At first Shino thought she was ignoring or avoiding the question, so he dropped the subject and was about to say something else when her voice rang out, "I spoke kindly of the half-breed," she said quietly, her words revealing to Shino that she didn't realize what he was.
"The Tenma guard overheard me talking with a friend about the killings in the small village of Kyalma, and how the Hanyou population was eradicated. I said that it was only retribution for what we had done to them... since then I've been on the run... that was 2 years ago."
He looked at her, quite impressed. "You managed to elude the Tenma guard for two years? I'm impressed." She looked at him and blushed deeply, her face once again becoming scarlet red. "What about you?" Xiaoli asked Shino inquisitively. "Why are you out here? And why did you kill that Tenma guard?"
Shino paused for a few seconds before responding nonchalantly, "I'm the same as you, the Tenma heard me talking about the half-breed respectfully." He didn't know why he was covering up what and who he was; all he knew is that he didn't want to upset or frighten her. He looked at her and laughed, "But they seem to have forgotten me, or assumed me dead. I ran into Fa'Reah and somewhere over the course of the past 4 years, they seem to have stopped tracking me." Xiaoli looked at him and smiled, saying under her breath, "Liar." But Shino never heard her.
Shino walked up next to her, and started to look at the sky with her. He jumped when she started to grab hold of his arm and gently lean on his shoulder. She started giggling almost out of the blue, covering her still blushing face with her right hand, her eyes now looking at his face, "Umm... you still haven't told me YOUR name..." Shino looked down at her and laughed, her cute face and gentle eyes completely destroyed his defensive barrier, and he told her the truth. "My name is Shino. Shino Motoe"
"Shino...Motoe..." she said the words dreamily, before closing her eyes and leaning further into his arms. Out in the distance, a hoarse voice resonated out, "Xiaoli! Xiaoli! I am Akron - Lord of Fire; one of the "8 Heroes of Tenma"! I am here for your head!" Xiaoli started to shiver and cry into Shino's shoulder.
"Don't let him hurt me, Shino. Please!" she looked into his eyes longingly, barely able to hold back the tears. Akron bellowed somewhere north of the clearing where Shino first met Xiaoli. Shino smiled as he was just notified of Akron's approximate location. "Follow me," he told Xiaoli, "I go to meet him head on. If it looks like I might loose, head for the Crystal Mountains to the east. I have a stronghold at the end of the path." Xiaoli nodded and they started off back to the clearing.